


the way you wear your hat

by reindeerjumper



Series: in for a penny, in for a pound [2]
Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 03:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12003807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reindeerjumper/pseuds/reindeerjumper
Summary: “What’s your favorite thing about me, Jack?” she said, her voice coming out just above a whisper. It was a game she liked to play with him, prompting him to lavish her with compliments because sometimes she still couldn’t believe that she garnered the attention of a man like Jack Robinson.





	the way you wear your hat

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little bit of fluff to cheer myself up. I head back to work tomorrow after five months of maternity leave, and I've been distracting myself quite a bit with these two. Hopefully you all enjoy :)

It was a cold June night, and Phryne and Jack were tucked together on Jack’s settee in front of the fireplace. Phryne sat at one end, her feet snug underneath Jack’s thigh as she read through the society column in the newspaper. On the other end was Jack, his slippered feet up on the ottoman in front of him, his reading glasses perched on the tip of his nose, and a weathered Zane Gray novel bracketed in his large hands. Softly, from across the room, the wireless played a Fred Astaire tune over the crackle of the fire. 

Peeking over the top of the newspaper, Phryne allowed herself the pleasure of admiring Jack without him noticing. They had been together for almost ten years, and every ounce of her still loved him just as fiercely as she did the day he showed up on her London doorstep. The time they had been together had been good to them both--they had their ups and downs, but if she were to look back, it was always with fondness. 

Jack was completely absorbed in his book as Phryne gazed at him. He had freed his hair from its regular pomade, and there was the slightest glint of silver at his temples.The laugh lines around his eyes and mouth were deeper than they were when she had first met him. Part of her liked to think that they--both the grey hair and the laugh lines--were more prominent because of her. He had shed most of his armor from the day, leaving on his trousers and his crisp white shirt, but ditching the tie and waistcoat for an unbuttoned collar and a much warmer cardigan. Her heart warmed as she looked at him, all softness and vulnerability. 

As she sat there, lost in her admiration, Jack started to hum along with the song as it played on the wireless. He licked a pointer finger before flipping the page, then allowed his hand to fall unconsciously to Phryne’s ankle where he swept his thumb over her ankle bone. The warmth in her heart spread to her fingertips and toes as a smile played on her lips. It wasn’t long before Jack’s hums turned into actual singing, quiet and graveled under his breath.

_ “The way you wear your hat, the way you sip your tea…” _

Unable to stop herself, Phryne joined in.

_ “The memory of all that--no, no! They can’t take that away from me.” _

Jack raised his eyes from his book and looked over to where Phryne was sitting. She grinned at him and he quickly returned the sentiment. 

“Caught ya,” she said, her grin continuing to cut across her face.

Jack gave a hum of acknowledgement, placing his bookmark onto the page where he was and closing the book. He placed the book on the table next to the settee then resettled his grip on Phryne’s ankle.

“What’s your favorite thing about me, Jack?” she said, her voice coming out just above a whisper. It was a game she liked to play with him, prompting him to lavish her with compliments because sometimes she still couldn’t believe that she garnered the attention of a man like Jack Robinson. 

“You want me to choose just one?” He smirked at her, giving her ankle a squeeze.

She bit her bottom lip as she smiled and nodded. “I’m sure you can come up with just one, can’t you?”

Taking his glasses from his face, Jack folded the arms in and placed them on top of the book on the table next to him. He took his feet off the ottoman and shifted his body towards Phryne, tucking one of his feet under the other leg. 

“You know quite well that my favorite thing about you is your sense of adventure. It’s infuriating and frightening and the most wonderful thing about you. You still manage to spark a bit of adventure in this old man, too.” 

“Inspector Robinson, you  _ do _ know how to woo a girl.”

“And you? What’s your favorite thing about me?” 

Jack never asked the question back to Phryne, and he set her slightly off-kilter. There were plenty of things she liked-- _ loved-- _ about Jack. His stalwartness, his mischievous smirk, the rumble of his voice and the breadth of his hands. He stared at her down the settee, his blue eyes boring into her. She loved many things about Jack, but there was one thing that stood out from the rest.

“I love that you’re my balance. You even me out, keep me steady...nobody has ever been able to do that, Jack, except for you.”

At this, Jack grinned. 

“Not my dashing good looks?” he quipped. 

“Oh, darling, you know very well that I find you incredibly attractive.”

“Hmm, yes, I suppose. But what do you find the  _ most _ attractive?” 

Phryne could see the heat in his eyes as a smile played on his lips, and she knew she had to rise up and take the bait. In one deft movement, she had slid herself from her spot on the settee cushion and into Jack’s lap. His arms immediately found purchase around her waist and he pulled her into him. From here she had a better angle to see the laugh lines that perched on either side of his brilliant blue eyes. She lovingly ran a fingertip across them before cupping his jaw in both of her palms.

“There’s plenty I find attractive about you, Jack Robinson,” she murmured. His eyes searched her face, only inches apart from his own. Phryne allowed her gaze to dip down to his mouth before coming back up to lock eyes with him. “I find your beautiful hands attractive, and the muscles in your thighs. I particularly love the smattering of freckles that always show up across your shoulders after a day at the beach, and the dip of your chin, right here.” She pressed her thumb into the dimple of his chin before sliding her hand up and allowing her fingertip to rest on his bottom lip. 

“That’s quite a lot, Miss Fisher.”

“Oh, but I’m not done yet, Inspector. Despite all of these delicious little tidbits, I think the thing I find most attractive about you is this gorgeous head of hair.” Phryne now dug her fingers into the thick, waviness of his unstyled hair, allowing her nails to drag along his scalp. Jack let out a small groan of pleasure at the sensation, his eyes rolling back as his eyelids flickered shut. “You know how I feel about it being tamped down with all of that product. You really should let it free more often...most men your age would die for this much hair.”

Jack’s eyes now flew open, that mischievous glint that Phryne loved so much glittering in the firelight. 

“I suppose, Inspector, that I could ask the same of you,” Phryne continued, allowing her hand to leave Jack’s hair and loop around his the back of his neck. “What do you find most attractive about  _ me?” _

Phryne felt Jack’s arms brace more tightly around her waist as one of his thumbs slid under the hem of her sweater. 

“That question is impossible for me to answer,” he said solemnly. 

“Try. For me?”

Jack took a breath in through his nostrils before slowly letting it out. “Let’s see. You know that I love  _ your _ hair. I even loved it when you tried finger waving it for that week.” They both grimaced at the memory before Jack continued. “Your lips have always been a point of attraction for me, whether they’re made up or not.” At this, he brushed his thumb along Phryne’s lower lip, which she playfully nipped at. Jack grinned at her. “If I were to be truthful, you have the finest bottom I’ve ever seen, but that wouldn’t be very fair since there haven’t been too many bottoms that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know.”

Phryne laughed at this, dipping down to cover Jack’s smirk with her mouth. “Be serious,” she said, breaking away from him and hovering just in front of his face. “What do you like best about me?”

With honesty in his eyes, Jack looked at her and said, “What I love most about you, Phryne Fisher, is the way you smell.”

At this, Phryne cocked a challenging eyebrow in his direction, amusement dancing in her eyes. 

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Jack laughed, squeezing her tightly. Phryne melted into him, resting her head on his shoulder as his voice rolled through her body. “ I love how your hair smells like lavender and rose oil, but the hollow of your neck--” Jack paused, allowing his lips to lay against Phryne’s throat--”smells like talc and jasmine. I like when you steal my jumpers and I can smell you in the fabric for weeks afterwards. I love when you spend the night here, and I wake up with my face buried in your neck. That smell that is so essentially  _ you _ , Phryne, embeds itself in my sheets and allows me a small comfort when you’re not here.” He stopped again, letting his mouth linger over the flutter of her pulse. “You smell like home, Phryne.”

It was now Phryne’s turn to take a steadying breath. “My, Jack,” she whispered, “you truly know how to shut me up.”

Jack laughed at this, burying his head into her hair and assaulting her with kisses. Phryne erupted into laughter, pulling him into her and pressing her lips into his temple.

“Take me to bed, Jack. I want you to feel at home.”

Not needing to be told twice, Jack scooped Phryne up into his arms and carried her off to the bedroom while the wireless continued to play to the now empty room.

**Author's Note:**

> [Here's the song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuufFgAMkGE), if you're curious :)


End file.
